Lagos , Nigeria -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Party primaries for Nigeria 's presidential election will begin November 26 , the Independent National Electoral Commission announced Tuesday .

The primaries , which will continue through January 15 , were originally scheduled for October , but were postponed by the commission . The presidential election , originally to be held in January , will be April 9 .

President Goodluck Jonathan , who became president after the death of Umaru Yar ` Adua earlier this year , is running for election to the office . He will be challenged in the primaries by another former vice president of Nigeria .

Atiku Abubakar emerged Monday as the consensus candidate put forward by a bloc of leaders from Nigeria 's influential Northern Political Leaders Forum , which announced in September that it would name someone to take on Jonathan in the presidential primaries for the People 's Democratic Party .

Abubakar served as vice president under Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007 .

Under Nigerian `` zoning '' rules , power must shift to between regions and ethnic groups every eight years .

Jonathan -- who is from the Niger Delta , in the south -- was part of the joint ticket with Yar ` Adua , who was from the north . He was elected in 2007 . Because Jonathan took office after Yar ` Adua 's death in May , the northern leaders say the presidency should rotate back to the north . Jonathan disputes that .

Voter registration for the presidential election will be January 15-29 .

CNN 's Christian Purefoy contributed to this report .

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Primaries will be held from November 26 through January 15

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The presidential election will be April 9

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will challenge President Goodluck Jonathan